Search - Sos Band :: Greatest Hits

Nice compilation, but....

chakasworld | Atlanta, GA United States | 08/27/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"...The inclusion of a variety of & 'single & edited' (shorter)versions of songs brings it down. While shorter songs aren't good here, this compilation is essential for the OVERDUE CD DEBUT of cult classics from the ultra rare 'S.O.S. Band III' album from 1982. Before now, you'd have to spend big bucks for 'Groovin (That's What We're Doin')' & the great slow jam, 'Have It Your Way'. Along with 'High Hopes', these 1982 tracks are the group's best from 1982, and things just got better in 1983 once Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis took over with 'Just Be Good To Me', etc.



Other problems with this collection is that tracks aren't presented chronologically. The songs just don't flow properly, and this makes for a set of songs that aren't exactly cohesive. This could've been a cool 2 CD ANTHOLOGY, featuring full length versions (and a few 12" versions!) of classic songs, including tracks from the post-Mary Davis edition of the group (they did have about 3-4 hits on the radio during the mid 1980's).



The liner notes by A.Scott GAlloway are above average & should be informative for new S.O.S. fans, BUT the artwork could be better, which is how I view the entire CD. Since the record companies refuse to do the right thing, I created my own 2 CD set including full length versions of the hits, a few remixes, and even Mary Davis' only solo hit ('Don't Wear It Out'), was added as a bonus track! Fans of The S.O.S.Band are urged to make their own CD compilations. Enough of these half-baked CDs by the record companies!



Good attempt, but fans should only get this 'The Greatest Hits' for the rare songs from 1982 that I mentioned, and like me, you can create a BETTER tribute to Atlanta's own 'S.O.S. Band'!



Peace, SD

(fr.'Chaka's World')

"

I Agree-Not Enough Material

Andre S. Grindle | Brewer Maine | 01/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike the now rare The Best of the S.O.S. Band this groups best of CD's all have the same trouble-they favor single edits of these classic songs and the results are truncated versions of "Just Be Good To Me","Take Your Time","Just The Way You Like It" and "The Finest".And again NOT enough from 1981's Too album (now sadly out of print) that always gets panned by critics.Actually for a band of it's type the SOS Band are often better suited on albums so purchasing ultra rare CD's of albums like On the Rise and Sands of Time will not dissappoint even a casual fan.What Tabu needs to do is reissue that last four SOS Band albums (1982 to 1986) that have not been remastered on CD.I have the vinyl copies of those albums and I'm sticking to 'em until the entire albums see the light on CD-that's the only way I'd ever want the SOS Band on CD;when I can hear the glorious full songs and not have them cut to shreds. One of the unfortunate symptoms of music of the 80's is the perception that the pop music of the day was a primarily single based medium.Whether that was a critical reaction or just the hi-tech nature of some music production of the day I don't know but the S.O.S. Band did indeed,along with their producers Jam/Lewis present a unique,artful sound that for some reason stood both with AND in contrast to similar music of the day and was able to strech beyond the confines of the single medium.In fact I dare say a double CD set in the newer "Gold" series of such compilations would very well suite the S.O.S Band;covering their full lengh tunes from 1980 up until their breakup in the early 90's;adding all the best stuff from post Mary Davis albums Diamonds in the Raw and 1993's One of Many Nights,the bands final two recording to offer a worthy and complete picture of a band who for some reason never get their due. In the end I cannot help but think that the bands catalogs's limited reissues is based lingering preception that people had about any R&B/funk bands who formed after 1980 were all based in disco,a demonized word at the time.It's a rich tapestry I suppose.But now that the justly revered 60's,70's and the (I apolojize) often overrated 90's R&B landscape have been thoroughly explored in the form of reissues and revisionist criticism, it's time to put some emphasis on the 80's:a period people love to scorn but few take the time to really explore.And the S.O.S Band should be a part of that emphasis too."

This is an excellent collection for the SOS Band!

Preston | nc | 08/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I thought that this was long overdue! This is better than the one that Motown released in 1995, only with more songs and more depth. It seems to focus more on the 1986 album, since SOS had more hits with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. A few of the songs sound similar, where the chorus lines of Just Be Good To Me, Just the Way You Like IT and Borrowed Love sound eerily alike. But that's what made them so fun and addictive. I wished that they had the album version of Take Your Time instead of the three minute single--they cut a lot of big sections out. The Finest sounds a little like one of the Control songs from Janet Jackson's album, but when you think that Jam and Lewis were doing 30 to 40 songs in 1984, 1985 and 1986 at the same time, you can tell that they were a huge hit music factory at the time! They were a strong live band for its time, and you can tell in the early and later songs. I still love the SOS song, track 2--opening sounds very much like Heatwave's The Groove Line, but the rhythm sections are fabulous all throughout! This really covers their career so very well. Very entertaining and groove heavy and danceable for all its 79 minutes!"